Myths, Gender, Birds, Beads

Homologous origin myths concerning the Tsodilo Hills in north-western Botswana, Polombwe hill at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika in Zambia and Kaphiri-Ntiwa hill in northern Malawi are examined. Parallels are drawn between the myths, where, in the process of creation, a primal pair in undifferentiated space and time passes through a series of liminal states, thereby bringing structure to the landscape and legitimacy to society in Iron Age Central and Southern Africa. These myths narrate the instituting of social legitimacy in their respective societies based on a resolution of the inherent contradiction between the concepts of authority and power, lineage and land. The structure of rights to possession of land is examined, and the text considers the role of sumptuary goods such as glass beads and metonymic signifiers such as birds within this structure. This study examines the prominence of hilltops as the residence of paranormal power and its association with human authority, and relates this to the archaeological interpretation of the Iron Age site Nqoma (Tsodilo Hills); this is compared with Bosutswe (eastern Botswana), Mapungubwe (Shashe-Limpopo basin), and the Shona Mwari myth recorded by Frobenius as used by Huffman in his analysis of Great Zimbabwe

Archaeology · Ethnology · Geography · Legitimacy · Legitimation · Mythology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Law · South African History and Culture

• Metalworking in Pre-Islamic North Africa

  Open Access•Aurelie Cuénod•Mobile Technologies in the…•2020

  Incluir item

• The Early History of Weaving in West Africa

  Open Access•Sonja Magnavita•Mobile Technologies in the…•2020

  Incluir item

• Technology in the Sahara and Beyond

  Open Access•Colin Duckworth, Chloë N Duckworth et al.•Mobile Technologies in the…•2020

  Incluir item

• Shattering Illusions

  Open Access•Colin Duckworth, Chloë N Duckworth•Mobile Technologies in the…•2020

  Incluir item

• Mobile Technologies in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond

  Open Access•C N Duckworth, A Cuénod et al.•Mobile Technologies in the…•2020

  Incluir item

• Ritual in the Hunter-Gatherer/Early Pastoralist Period

  Open Access•Sheila Coulson, Phillip Segadika et al.•African Archaeological Review•2016

  Incluir item

• Social Landscapes of Euphorbia Kop

  Tim Forssman, Trent Seiler et al.•Journal of Field Archaeology•2022

  Incluir item

• Archaeo-Ornithology

  Catrin Kost, Shumon T Hussain•Environmental Archaeology•2019

  Incluir item

• Chemical analyses of glass beads from two Early Iron Age sites in Zimbabwe

  Edwin Wilmsen, Edwin Ν Wilmsen et al.•Azania Archaeological Research in…•2018

  Incluir item

• Great Zimbabwe, Mashonaland, Rhodesia

  Open Access•R N Hall•1905

  Incluir item

• LA-ICP-MS analysis of African glass beads

  Open Access•L Dussubieux, Peter Robertshaw et al.•International Journal of Mass…•2009

  Incluir item

• The cultural biography of things

  Open Access•Igor Kopytoff•Social Life of Things•1986

  Incluir item

• The Social Life of Things

  Open Access•Arjun Appadurai•Social Life of Things•1986

  Incluir item

• Intensive Mining of Specular Hematite in the Kalahari Ca. A.D. 800–1000

  Lawrence H Robbins, Michael L Murphy et al.•Current Anthropology•1998

  Incluir item

• Some Spirits Heal, Others Only Dance

  Roy Willis, K B S Chisanga et al.•Some Spirits Heal, Others Only…•2020

  Incluir item

• Culture and Customs of Zimbabwe

  Oyekan Owomoyela•Culture and Customs of Zimbabwe•2002

  Incluir item

• Mapungubwe and the Origins of the Zimbabwe Culture

  T N Huffman•Goodwin Series•2000

  Incluir item

• A Glass Bead Sequence for Southern Africa from the 8th to the 16th Century AD

  Marilee Wood•Journal of African Archaeology•2011

  Incluir item

• The social geography of pottery in Botswana as reconstructed by optical petrography

  Edwin Ν Wilmsen, D Killick et al.•Journal of African Archaeology•2009

  Incluir item

• Metal working at Bosutswe, Botswana

  James Denbow, Duncan Miller•Journal of African Archaeology•2007

  Incluir item

• Pathways to Social Complexity and State Formation in the Southern Zambezian Region

  Open Access•Nam C Kim, Chapurukha M Kusimba•African Archaeological Review•2008

  Incluir item

• The Social Life of Things

  Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, A Appadurai•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1988

  Incluir item

• The Soapstone Birds of Zimbabwe

  James Walton•The South African Archaeological…•1955

  Incluir item

• Snakes and Crocodiles

  D N Beach, David Beach et al.•The South African Archaeological…•1997

  Incluir item

• Spiritual and Political Uses of a Rock Engraving Site and Its Imagery by San and Tswana-Speakers

  Sven Ouzman•The South African Archaeological…•1995

  Incluir item

• In the Footsteps of the Ancestors

  Nick Walker•The South African Archaeological…•1997

  Incluir item

• Standardized Analyses of Glass Trade Beads from Mgungundlovu and Ondini, Nineteenth Century Zulu Capitals

  Nicolaas J Van Der Merwe, S J Saitowitz et al.•The South African Archaeological…•1989

  Incluir item

• The Tsodilo Jewellery

  Chapurukha M Kusimba, D Miller et al.•The South African Archaeological…•1997

  Incluir item

• Ounjougou, Mali

  Souad Kouti, Éric Huysecom•Journal of African Archaeology•2007

  Incluir item

• A Handbook of Tswana Law and Custom

  Isaac Schapera, Simon Roberts•Handbook of Tswana Law and Custom•2019

  Incluir item

• The Soapstone Birds from Great Zimbabwe

  T N Huffman•African Arts•1985

  Incluir item

• Territorial Cults in the history of Central Africa

  Open Access•Terence Ranger•The Journal of African History•1973

  Incluir item

• The African Lords of the Intercontinental Gold Trade Before the Black Death

  Open Access•J E G Sutton•The Antiquaries Journal•1997

  Incluir item

• Inalienable Possessions

  Annette B Weiner, Annette Weiner•Inalienable possessions•1992

  Incluir item

• Introduction

  Open Access•Peter M Haas•International Organization•1992

  Incluir item

• The Use and Abuse of Ethnography in the Study of the Southern African Iron Age

  Paul Lane•Azania Archaeological Research in…•1994

  Incluir item

• A New Look at the Later Prehistory of the Kalahari

  Open Access•James Denbow•The Journal of African History•1986

  Incluir item

• Inside and outside the dry stone walls

  Open Access•Shadreck Chirikure, Innocent Pikirayi•Antiquity•2008

  Incluir item

• Culture and Customs of Zimbabwe

  Leslie Bessant, Oyekan Owomoyela•The International Journal of…•2003

  Incluir item

• Sacrifice in Africa

  Wyatt Macgaffey, Luc De Heusch et al.•Canadian Journal of African…•1986

  Incluir item

• The Drunken King, Or, the Origin of the State

  M F C Bourdillon, Michael Bourdillon et al.•Man•1983

  Incluir item

• Pourquoi l'epouser? et autres essais

  Lucy Mair, Luc De Heusch•Man•1972

  Incluir item

• Rainmaking Rites of Tswana Tribes

  Mary Douglas, I Schapera•Man•1971

  Incluir item

• Praise Poems of Tswana Chiefs

  T O Beidelman, I Schapera•Man•1966

  Incluir item

• Inalienable Wealth

  Open Access•Annette B Weiner•American Ethnologist•1985

  Incluir item

• Cognitive Archaeology and Imaginary History at Great Zimbabwe

  D N Beach, David Beach•Current Anthropology•1998

  Incluir item